Life Goes On
by pencilsandstencils
Summary: Tahno is a new man, living life without his bending. Well, not living, existing. He basically just mopes around all day with less life than a zombie, working just to get by. But after a chance meeting in the bustling streets, he, (unbeknownst to him at the time) finds a new reason to carry on. Will they ever realize what they mean to each other? (Co-starring an OC of mine, Camilla)
1. Chapter 1

**AN:- THIS IS MY FIRST FANFIC!** I've been working on this story for almost a year now, it's still in-progress. It features an original character I created, Camilla. I worked really hard in making her, and Tahno, as human-like and relatable as I could. Get ready for lots of suspense, humor, and...ロマンスawkward situations galore!

Creative criticism is always welcome. Thanks!

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**LIFE GOES ON**

**Chapter 1: Warm Gut Feeling**

The bullet pierced her chest quickly, painlessly. Blood splattered. Li hit the ground panting, pleading, and begging. Camilla couldn't watch, couldn't even scream. Her breath was gone. Her chest still ached, and her cut cheek continued to sting and drip, drip, drip blood. She squeezed her eyes shut and blocked her ears with her shaking hands as more bullets sprayed. She could still hear everything, that was inevitable, and she knew it. She couldn't run away, she couldn't save her; she was useless, too weak, too small…a little speck.

"MOM!"…..she sighed. Camilla sat up in bed, the cold sweat on her forehead chilling her to the bone.

"That was horrible, what a great way to start off my morning…."

She finally sprang up from bed, wanting to get as far away from her bed as possible. That was the third nightmare in a row this week. She practically ran to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. The emerald-eyed girl looked at herself from behind the dripping water in the mirror.

"I look like crap." She croaked glaring at the puffy bags under her eyes. She stuck out her tongue at her reflection and proceeded with the rest of her morning routines before going to work. She was a fairly new employee, only having about a few months of experience helping her father, a chemist, check the cleanliness of his test tubes. So she couldn't afford a car of course. She walked everywhere, she had kind of gotten used to it. She developed her "employed swagger walk" Which made her trudge like an overpaid 500 pound bus driver. Yet she did it proudly; but only when walking to work. Once she got into the building, Camilla had to take on a new persona, Candace, strutting around in orange shorts and an owl stamped tank top. She hated working at Hooters. She was always cold and felt exploited walking around with her body on display in front of horny old men. (And their kids, the poor things, they sit and watch their fathers' elated expression at the girls when he should be watching over them.) **_This is so wrong. _**Camilla thought. **_If I had a choice…I-_**She grimaced as she felt someone grab her butt.

Not thinking, acting on reflexes, she whipped around and smacked the crap out of him, making him stumble and fall to the ground.

He started yelling. "YOU LITTLE-"

"Camill-Candace! How dare you smack the patrons!?" The head manager whined.

"Well how dare he grab MY ASS!?" The manager winced at the use of her language in the mostly family friendly restaurant. He looked around at the customers, their eyes glued to his face, his mouth. Waiting for what he would say next. He glanced back at Camilla, seething, teary rage across her face. "You don't even have to say it." Camilla uttered in between sniffles. "I quit!"

She threw off her uniform, revealing another tank top and butt padded underwear shorts underneath.

"And yes! THESE ARE FAKE!" She reached into the shorts and ripped out the booty-bump pads, throwing one at the pervert, still lounging on the ground, and the other at the manager. She then turned to the customers.

"I'm sorry for my loud outburst, and the uh—stripping….please enjoy the rest of your meal."

She stormed out and didn't look back. **_There's no need_****. She thought. ****_I'm NEVER going back. I'll have to make a living some other way. How degrading._**Looking down at her plain, scuffed shoes as she walked, she didn't notice anything around her, she didn't care right now, nor did she want to. Although she wished she had paid attention as she bumped into a hard chest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I just-" She looked up into steely blue eyes, clearer and more beautiful than any ocean she'd ever seen. She froze, captivated.

"Are you okay?" He looked genuinely concerned and his perfect eyebrows furrowed. Camilla felt as if she would melt.

"Umm, uh… I'll be fine, sorry again." She forced herself to look away, and then started to walk. She felt she must look stupid to him, practically in pajamas trudging down the street with a mixture of emotions on her face.

"Ohh he was hot!... Darn." She whispered to herself. She turned around but only got a glimpse of his toned build and disheveled hair. She sighed depressingly. As she turned around she heard and felt crumpled paper, coming from her hand.

"Wha-" She opened it. "867-5309…What, this must be a joke, no one can have that number!" She was about to throw it away; but then she felt something else in her hand. It felt like…"A strand of hair?" (She had now moved over to the wall of a building to avoid bumping into anyone else) "HIS hair?! How? When?...EWWW."

Back at her apartment, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling contemplating whether or not to call. She was also thinking about all of the things she knew about him, which was practically nothing of course. "Aw, what the heck, it's not like I have anything else to do….like working" she bitterly muttered.

**Journal Entry #12**

**_So, I'm going to call this total stranger...(Fingers crossed that he isn't a perv too…) _**

"OH CRAP I FORGOT TO FEED LUCY!" Closing the journal, she shook some fish flakes into a small fishbowl on her nightstand, which housed Lucy, a goldfish; given to her by her mother for her birthday the year before. Lucy of course made a beeline for the particles. CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP! Camilla smiled as she dialed the number.

"Hello?" A deep, lusty voice said, almost commandingly. "Hi, umm… is this that-"

"Oh, it's just you, stutter-girl. Yeah, it's the guy, what's up?" Camilla stared at the phone for a moment as if he could possibly feel her burning glare through it. "Well, first of all, why did you give me your number Mr. Stray-hair?" She retorted. "Ha-ha, nice one! I admit that wasn't on purpose I swear….gross, right?"

**_OMG! Even his laugh is hot! _**Camilla swooned as she thought.

He continued. "Well basically, I know you're out of a job right now so I-" Camilla's eyes widened. "H-How would you know that!? Are you some kind of stalker? Who sent you? Was it Uncle Phil? He was always the nosy type, hmm…."

"What? No! How about this idea? I was in the hooters and saw you quit, then storm out. I figured that I could offer you a job." Camilla was thankful that he left out the stripping part but she was confused. "Why me? You saw me at my worst, all…crazy and hysterical. Why do you-"

"Because of your professionalism." He cut in.

"What?"

"Let me finish….After your little outburst you apologized to all of the customers for your completely understandable actions. That's pretty admirable." Camilla's ears got hot.

"Well, yeah, I mean…I had to right? She sputtered.

"Well it was the right thing to do, but no, you didn't have to. And that's the admirable part. The choice to be courteous, selfless almost is the thing I find most admirable about people today. It's uh…rare." He stammers. "Yeah I agree." **_Is "ADMIRABLE" This guys' favorite word or something? I swear if he says it again I might barf… _**Camilla didn't really see how her actions could even be in the same sentence as the word: "Admirable…"

"Huh?"

"Uhh…It's such a nice word! Thank you." She smacked her forehead. "Yeah it is... So, you want the job?" Camilla's gut felt all warm, it only felt this way when she was sure about something.

"Yes! Yes I do!" She squealed. The man on the phone, Tahno, grinned. "I like the enthusiasm!" he strongly said. Camilla thought for a second, then frowned.

"So uh, what exactly _is_ this job?"

**END OF CHAPTER ONE**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO: The Job**

The construction site could only be described in one word. _Rigid_. The stiff and unyielding necks of the cranes. The towering, yet decayed skyscraper they were picking at. (Which looked like it would topple at any moment.) Her starched one-size-fits-almost-all uniform. Even the ground. The tightly packed, steamrolled ground completely void of life. _Stiff_. _Rigid_. Every piece of dangling steel, every loud BOOM of metal hitting metal, even the short-lived shaking of the Earth afterwards, added to the already uneasy atmosphere in Camilla's head. Her spine went rigid as well. **_What was I supposed to be doing? Spirits, I can't even remember my job at the moment. This is a freaking construction site, I don't belong here! If I screw up and something falls-_**

"Hey." That voice again. Camilla whipped around to see a quite attractive man in uniform towering above her.

"Oh. H-Hi!" She sputtered, feeling shaken. "Sir, is this _your _company?"

"No, it's my father's. I just recruit new workers. But I am the vice president." He said with vigor and a smile. "Are you alright? You look tense." He playfully massaged her shoulder. Camilla jumped at the sensation, as she didn't even realize his hand was on it. "Ha-ha." That laugh. Camilla swooned. She mentally thanked the spirits for her inheritance of tan skin from her father, which hid most of her full blown blush.

"REEEALLY tense; what's worrying you?" Tahno continued. They were the only two workers in conversation. Everyone else was minding their own. She wished he would do the same for now. **_And leave me to drown in my thoughts, you beautiful peasant. _**

"Um, just first day jitters I guess…ha-ha." Butterflies swam inside of her stomach. **_ARE those butterflies?_**

Tahno focused on a nearby crane picking at a mangled mass of metal as he spoke. "Hmm, yeah, yeah I remember those. Yours seem a lot better than mine were. I threw up so much, I—" Tahno heard a retching sound and looked over at Camilla, on all fours, committing the same act he had just mentioned. Chunks.

Tahno jumped back himself and tried to hold back his gagging. "GAH!, Ooooooooh Spirits! Jeez! Uhh…" He quickly collected himself. "Okay, hang tight, I'll be right back." He ran to a nearby supply closet and grabbed a garbage can and some napkins.

"H-Here you go." He stuttered, handing her the rough paper bag excuse for napkins. He used to have top quality moist toilettes on him at all times. But once he lost his bending, it became an unnecessary luxury he could no longer afford.

"T-Thanks…" Was all Camilla could say to him. The man who had generously offered her this job on the grounds of her admirableness. The man whose almost clear gaze still captivated her. The man who probably thought she looked like an idiot once again. **_I'm so…embarrassed. At my current state, my weakness, e-ver-y-thing. _**She avoided his eyes as she finished wiping herself off, stood up, and started to walk away.

"Hey, where're you going? Wait up!" **_I hate calling her like this. What is her name? _**He thought.

Tahno started walking towards her. Running. Camilla heard his footsteps and stopped. Fists clenched tightly at her side. She turned to face him with tears building in her hazel eyes.

"Huh, water." Tahno whispered, looking into them.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed, trying to decode the puzzle that was…**_Wait, what was his name? Did I even ask? _**

He continued. "Oh, I'm sorry, whenever I see water it just… takes me back is all." His eyes darted away into the vastness of the site. Camilla's eyes widened. "Y-you are Tah-no!" She almost hyperventilated. She was a huge fan of the Wolfbats, his probending team.

Mr. Stray-hair just nodded. Camilla wiped her eyes before continuing.

"Yeah, I heard about that match on the radio, I was so happy when you guys won, but then…Amon…"

"Yeah, Keep going"

"I'm so sorry."

"Why? It's not your fault. I'm ok. I guess I deserved it anyway. I was arrogant, nasty, rude…a cheat. But listen, forget what you heard ok? Hiroshi paid off the refs, not us. You know how he and _Amon _are in cahoots don't you? It's almost like it was set up so that we looked like rich bullies to the spectators, and that would justify taking our bending or something." He kicked at the ground. It didn't move. _Rigid._

**_This guy really is a puzzle. He's clearly not over it, and he_**_'__**s sure as hell NOT OK. But then again, how can you get over getting your bending taken away? Ever?**_

"No. Tahno, first of all, no one deserves getting their bending taken away unless they've taken a life, or ruined one with it. Second, I always excused your behavior in the ring because I know that with fame, comes arrogance. I never believed you were always like that. Lastly, Third, I believe you. I already had my theories about that, and I guess you just confirmed them."

"Thanks. It's nice to have someone…believe me, be on MY side for once. I lost all of my friends you know, my teammates, they blame me for everything that happened to them, to us."

"I'll be your friend then, Tahno." She blurted out. **_WHOA! What was that Camilla? I can't believe I just said that so… confidently! _**His cat-like eyes widened at her in surprise.

"And I yours, uhhh, what IS your name?"

"It's Camilla, Camilla Minglin." She grinned.

"Y-you are Ca-mil-la!" Tahno mocked, laughing.

Camilla giggled, punching him, her boss, in the arm. "Not funny!"

"Then why'd you laugh?"

"Because… I-I'm a hypocrite!"

"What?" He smirked.

"I don't know!" She playfully pouted.

"You're clearly delusional, Camilla. Because of your illness, I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Let's go grab some lunch. Hmm?"

"Food? Yess! Of course!" **_BEST BOSS EVER!_**She thought.

Lunch actually wasn't as awkward as Camilla thought it would be. Tahno ordered salad for the both of them while she was freshening up in the bathroom. He knew that would be better for her stomach. Well, being from the Foggy Swamp Tribe he knew a lot about leafy things, and their healing powers. As Camilla made the walk back to their table, she could faintly hear words that sounded like a death sentence from the waiter. _"Alright Sir, and your salads will be ready in a few!" __**NOOOOOOOO! NO. The dirty bastard! **_She deeply pouted as she plopped into her seat, put her elbows on the table, and balanced her cheeks on her knuckles. He noticed this.

"What's the matter? He asked, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Salad. Salad, Tahno." She refused to look in his eyes, they would make her stop her brief immaturity rant. Make her go red with embarrassment. So she settled for the lower half of his face instead. She watched Tahno's cheeks puff up with air, trying to hold in his laughter. That utterly failed, as a loud fart/whistle sound came from his lips, followed by a sudden chuckling, a sound she didn't know he could produce. **_What an adorable laugh! Oh, Spirits! _**She couldn't fight off her inevitable smile.

"Camilla, you are just too much! It's just a salad, you might like it."

"_JUST_ a salad? Am I a rabbit-squirrel or something? I hate veg-ugh, I can't even say the name. I refuse, for the word shall forever taint my lips. **_And the taste shall forever taint my tongue_**_. __**BLECH. **_Tahno grinned.

"Oh grow up, Camilla!" Anyway, in my opinion, this restaurant has the best salad in all of Republic City. You'll like it."

"Yeah, whatever." She finally looked up into his eyes and smiled. He returned it. Bad move. Her face and ears heated up, turning a deep tomato red. She hastily cast her gaze downward again.

"So, where're you from?" Tahno began. He hated silence. After all, he'd grown up on the probending court, hearing millions of fans calling his name for years and years.

"Northern Earth Kingdom." Camilla readily answered, playing with some loose strands of hair from her messy bun that cradled her cheeks. Tahno's jaw dropped. "You're a bender? I never would've guessed!" He realized that he was pretty loud and looked around. Yep, the faces, hidden glances, and whispering mouths of the others turned to them, eyebrows raised. His eyes returned to Camilla. "Ahem. Sorry."

"It's totally okay." Camilla reassured. "But um…yeah, I know. I try not to show any signs of my bending so that I evade suspicion from chi-blockers and stuff. I guess I'm the only bender left in my family now, thanks to Amon. I can't let my family's gift end with me, I won't let it happen. I can't."

"The ONLY bender left? That's terrible…" He frowned and shook his head. His hands fiddled with the napkin dispenser. Yank. Tear. Crumple. An odd cycle. **_He's definitely NOT ok._**

_"Sorry for the wait! Cabbage shortage… Heeeere are your salads!" _A distant voice nervously of their heads snapped up. Tahno's in anticipation, Camilla's just because Tahno's did."Again, sorry for the wait." The overly eager waiter continued.

"It's fine." Tahno assured her. Her body language changed. Shoulders relaxed. She sighed in relief. "Good, it's my first day and I'm really nervous! I've been smiling so much my cheeks hurt!"

"Look, just relax." Camilla popped in. The girl; Nessa, (by her nametag) focused on her. "Everything will be okay. Just concentrate on the end of the day, and once you get there, the satisfaction of knowing that you did your best will come rushing through you!" **_Why couldn't I tell myself this earlier… oh yeah, 'cause I haven't done anything yet, much less my best. _**She continued. "And by the way, your best is pretty good."

"Really? How so?" said Nessa.

"Well, you apologized for something that wasn't your fault, that's pretty admirable."

Tahno grinned like an idiot. Where had he heard THAT before? **_Clever girl._**

**_END OF CHAPTER TWO_**

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**_AN:_** **Creative Criticism is always welcome! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE: I Did?**

After dropping Camilla back at her apartment, Tahno drove around for a while in his Sato Truck. He kept smiling to himself, replaying the conversation he and Camilla had just had in his mind.

**"What was that back at the restaurant?" Tahno began.**

**"What do you mean?" Camilla questioned, acting oblivious.**

**"Oh, you know…when you quoted a special someone…****_verbatim."_**

**She smiled. "Oh, THAT. Well, it was a good line! Why not use it?"**

**"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" He sighed in content. "I'm a genius."**

**"Pfft!" She scoffed. "Now YOU'RE the delusional one!"**

And all was well with the world as their laughter blended together in his truck. Or, at least… so he thought. He was stuck in the tar pit between cruel reality and La-La-Land at the moment.

Tahno always took a cruise in the raggedy metal heap when there was a lot on his mind. He'd make multiple stops too; the gas station for snacks, the park because it was calming. But no other place seemed to bring him back to Earth more than his favorite pond, which formed next to Yue Bay. Whenever it would rain heavily, Yue Bay would over flow a bit and the excess water would pour into a huge muddy ditch. The water in it would never evaporate completely before the next rain, so Tahno could always come and find refuge there year-round. It was actually more like a swamp, what with seaweed and moss coating the surface of the disease green water, but to Tahno, it was perfect. A dreamland. But even he would admit that it looked best at nighttime, where the stars and night sky reflected its true beauty.

He'd loved that pond for as long as he could remember. He'd gone there as a child; playing in the water, bending it into muddy little spheres that he would launch at his unsuspecting parents, angering them. He'd even come there before every probending match to simply relax. But of course that was no longer necessary. He sighed as he plopped down on the plush grass surrounding the body of water, but now, he scowled at the millions of glittering sparkles of light dancing on the surface. His large, thin hands cupped his face, completing the angry child look.

"So Pondy,' he uttered. "What do I do now? What do I have left? I'm different now you see; the last time I was here I had my bending, a solid job. I had a life. But now what? I've got no ego, no motivation, I'm about to lose my loft since the money's not coming in fast enough. I've got nothing!" He whimpered as tears started to build up in his eyes. **_I'm pathetic. Look at me. _**He grabbed the grass beside him with both hands, ripping and tearing it as his tears started to fall. "That low-life bastard didn't just take away my bending; he took away my whole damn life! I may as well be dead."

"No, no, Camilla wouldn't like to see me like this…" He fell back on the grass and closed his eyes, squeezing out the last of his tears. They left warm trails of water down the sides of his face. It was almost comforting to him. He felt the need to sleep weighing heavily on his body, but he was too tired to walk back to his truck.

Camilla fed Lucy, threw herself down on her bed, and smashed her face into a pillow. She felt something hard underneath her head. "Oh yeah, my journaaaaal." She yawned. She rubbed her eyes while opening the book, and grabbed a pen.

**_Journal Entry #13_**

**_Remember that total stranger I was talking about? Well, he's my boss now and he's AMAZING! His name is Tahno (yes, from the Wolfbats) and he's probably the nicest guy I've ever met. He's just great. But, he's broken. (Like, mentally.) I feel like I could fix him, if he'd let me, but… that's just wishful thinking I guess. *sigh* Did I mention that he's hot? Beautiful, even. He's just got these amazing eyes that- I'm getting ahead of myself. *ahem* Thank Spirits it's Friday, but he makes me look forward to going to work. _**

"What a schizophrenic thing to write." Camilla scoffed, reading over it.

She sat the journal on her nightstand next to the fishbowl, and peered up at the fish through sleepy eyes. "Don't look at me like that Lucy…" She switched off her lamp and fell into a deep, coma-like sleep.

Tahno awoke the next morning to a sharp crick in his neck. He hissed at the pain. Looking around stiffly, he quickly realized that he must have fallen asleep on the ground. He got up and started to massage hit neck muscles, but as he suspected, his efforts were futile.

"Ah, it hurts…" He trudged his way back to his truck, and found that it wasn't there.

"Wha—Where's my truck!? What the hell happened to my truck?" He swiveled around until he spotted it. It had rolled all the way down the hill until it hit a tree at the foot of the sidewalk.

"Damn it! I must've forgotten to put it in park." He kicked at the ground and ran to it, surveying the damage. There was none. "What? How?" He discovered a sticky note on the hood. He snatched it up and read:

"I think this is your truck so I… fixed it up!

-Camilla"

"Camilla?" He started to laugh. "What an angel! This is so great; I got to go thank her." He climbed into his truck and turned on the ignition. He carefully reversed the car while checking his side view mirror. Once he was back on the road, he turned the radio to the highest volume it could reach. The raven-haired teen started to sing along.

"It will bring you to your, SHA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA KNEEEEES, KNEEEEES! I wanna watch you bleed!" The song had never sounded so awesome to him.

Camilla awoke to a mish-mosh of noises. There was voracious 'Guns & Roses' music so loud it shook her entire room, followed by merciless horn honking and shouting.

"Camilla wake up! Wake up! C'mon wake uuuup!" **_Who else could it be?_** She thought.

She crawled out of bed and opened her window.

"WHAT!" She shouted through gritted teeth.

"I found your note! Thanks!" He waved it around like a flag.

"My…note?" Camilla's glare turned into a look of confusion as she remembered little fragments of a whole picture. Not believing that she did this again after all of these years.

"You OK?" Tahno asked.

"Uhh…I…don't know. This… I can't believe this."

**_What is she talking about? _**Tahno thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR: Touch**

"Ah, my head hurts…" Camilla muttered as she massaged her temples. Tahno looked up at her in concern.

"I'm comin' up."

"NO! I mean, not yet…" Camilla shut the window and quickly grabbed a pair of sweatpants. She frantically pulled them on over her shorts with one hand while fixing her hair with the other. After conquering that feat, she noticed her book of secrets still on her nightstand. She grabbed it and stuck it in a shoebox in the bottom of her closet.

"Ok. We're good, we're good."

She shuffled back to the window. "Ok! Now you can—What? Where did he go?"

**KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.**

"Of course, I'm on my way!" She opened the door just a crack but Tahno gently pushed his way in and cupped her cheeks. A move that made a faint blush appear under her tan skin, making her face and ears hot. Her eyes widened. What made Camilla almost melt was that he was looking straight into her eyes, searching them, almost. He grinned.

"Hmm… you might have a fever, you're kind of warm."

Camilla suddenly felt the urge to lean forward, when he released his gentle hold on her face.

**_Whyyyy did I do that? Quit toying with me you jerkbender. _**Camilla thought. She shook her head.

"Do you want me to get you some medicine?" He offered.

"No, no I'm fine…I'll be fine.

**_You said that when I first met you, and you weren't, I could tell._** Tahno thought.

She plopped down on her bed. Tahno plopped down right next to her. Another uncomfortable position for Camilla but at least she could bear it. "So what's the problem?" Tahno began.

"It's weird, I keep seeing things, but they look familiar, like memories. But the more I dwell on them, the more they start to fade."

"Tell me what you see, quickly." He said, not even bothering to hide the worried tone of his voice.

"Ok…I see a really pretty pond, the moons reflection is rippling on the surface."

Tahno's eyes widened. His pond. **_And she thinks it's pretty. That's a first. _**

Camilla closed her eyes to focus more. "Things are happening really fast, it's hard to concentrate."

**_Maybe I can help…_** He thought. As she was struggling to remember, he listened to the crazy morning traffic outside of her window. **_She lives right next to a highway, poor girl. Hmm…I can… _**Camilla felt warm, soft hands cupping her ears. "Tahno, you're distracting—"

Immediately, her head cleared of the hazy fog and could see everything crystal clear. "There's a uh, guy lying in the grass near the water. He's asleep, probably a hobo." Tahno scoffed. **_Then I'm the sexiest hobo ever. _** I see a vehicle. It looks a lot like your truck. The license plate says: WOLFBAT.' "Yeah, that's my truck" It looks like it rolled down the hill and hit a tree. You must've forgotten to put it in park. The damage is pretty bad, so I'm fixing it with metalbending." Tahno released her head.

"So, you're telling me, that you're a… Sleep-bender? You just go around fixing things?"

"Yeah, I am, and yes, I do. I used to do it all the time when I was little. I have no idea why. I'm a special case. My parents would always think I was missing. They tried everything. Taking me to the doctor, strapping me to my bed, even locking me in my room, that was a little inhumane of course, but they were desperate! You know the saying: 'Desperate times call for drastic measures, don't you?' It's just that… this time… was different. I haven't done that in years. I thought I was cured. This whole time… I thought I was fixed."

"You sound sad." said Tahno.

"Oh, I'm not sad, just coping with the fact that I'm not as normal as I thought." She said with a sigh.

Tahno turned to face her. "Camilla, what is normal? What is it really? Everyone has their own definition. Your idea of normal isn't mine, nor is mine yours. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think you're weird or anything. You're definitely different, but not weird."

Camilla looked at him, her eyes saying what she couldn't. **'Thanks' **

"Nevertheless, thanks again for fixing my truck." He got up.

"It was my subconscious that fixed it, but… you're welcome." **_Saying that did make me feel better, Tahno._**

"AWW, who's this little guy?" Tahno chimed, hunching over to have a closer look at her goldfish in its simple bowl.

"HER name is Lucy." She corrected him, getting up as well.

"Where'd you get HER?" He inquired. "My mom gave her to me for my 18th birthday last year. It symbolizes peace and abundance in success."

"That's a really thoughtful gift. Would you say your mom has those qualities?"

"Yeah, well…she _had_ them." Camilla almost whispered.

"Oh, is she…uh… you know…deceased?"

"Yeah." Camilla said with a sympathetic smile towards Tahno. She could tell that he had no experience with the art of consolation. She looked off into empty space, daydreaming.

"I'm sorry. Do you mind if I ask what happened?" Tahno hesitated. She turned to him.

"To put it simply, she was shot and killed by a deranged equalist. I was with her."

Realization smacked Tahno in the face. He got off the hook easy. They were killing people now. Butchering and bludgeoning, and shooting the innocent just because they were benders. Wives becoming widows, children becoming orphans. His breathing became more rapid and frantic as he could picture all of this. He became overcome with emotion and had to sit back down. This was no longer about equality. It was an all-out war on bending.

"Tahno… are you-"

"No, I'm not… I'm not." He started to shake. Camilla ran over to him and grabbed his quivering hand.

"Oh, Spirits, you're ice cold." He looked up to face her, eyes wide and irises a color that she couldn't even begin to describe. He looked scared, angry, and even sick. He grabbed her hand with both of his.

"Camilla…p-please, tell me your story."

"Tahno, I don't think this is a good time-"

"Please." His teeth were clenched. And chattering.

**_I've never seen him like this before, I'm honestly scared._**

She looked into his eyes one more time. They were so intense. She slowly sat next to him and twiddled her thumbs.

"Ok."

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

Bleech, I think their convo is a little corny at some parts... anyway, hey guys!, thanks for reading so far! I was thinking about giving up on this story but the fact that you guys favorite and follow it means a lot. I'm back in school now, so chapters will come more gradually, but i'll get it done! *listening to Daft Punk as she types* :3


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